The Organisation

Caledonian Sleeper is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London and Scotland. A sleeper service has been in operation since 1873. There have been many changes over the years with different organisations running the service.

In June 2023, the service was taken into public ownership and is now being run by Caledonian Sleeper Limited a subsidiary of Scottish Rail Holdings, an arm’s length company owned and controlled by the Scottish Government.  This new arrangement replaces the previous Caledonian Sleeper franchise, operated by Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited.

Why travel Caledonian Sleeper

• The Caledonian Sleeper is the longest passenger train in the UK - over ¼ mile long!
• Snooze your way to your destination and save money on a hotel night
• Time-saving, you travel overnight so can pack more into your day
• No more red-eye early morning flights
• Land in the heart of the city; no long airport queues or expensive city transfers
• Environmentally friendly way to travel
• No long waits for luggage and no extra fees
• Club Car & Passenger Lounge access for Club Room &
  Caledonian Double Room guests
• Club Car experience for breakfast, dinner or a whisky en-route
• 20% discount for onward travel with ScotRail

Environmental Benefits

Caledonian Sleeper generates almost 7 TIMES LESS carbon emissions than the average UK domestic flight and compares favourably to UK national rail services.

Caledonian Sleeper is your hotel room for the night making it even more green when compared to other modes plus hotel.

Background to The Opportunity

Job Title:                                Financial Reporting Manager

Reports to:                             Head of Finance

Location:                                Glasgow City Centre (Hybrid)

The role of Financial Reporting Manager provides an exciting opportunity for a talented finance professional with the desire to join an iconic and unique organisation embarking on the next chapter in its journey. The successful candidate will support the Head of Finance and will work closely with the wider business and the existing offshore team to establish all the required financial procedures. It is crucial that the appointed candidate is a driven, qualified accountant with a proactive approach to improving financial processes in an organisation going through significant period of change.

The role holder must be eager to develop a strong understanding of the operations beyond finance. The Financial Reporting Manager will possess excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. The individual must be comfortable working in an environment where processes and controls are yet to be established and take ownership of putting these in place.  They must also be driven to learn how the organisation operates beyond finance.

The Individual

The Financial Reporting Manager will bring best practice from previous roles to improve financial processes and will build positive and influential relationships across the business. The individual will be comfortable with and adaptable to change as the organisation continues to evolve.

A summary of the key candidate requirements are as follows:

• Qualified accountant (CA, ACCA, CIMA)
• Ability to develop robust processes and controls
• Highly motivated with a delivery focus and the ability to balance conflicting requirements
• Adaptable to business change and a fast-paced environment with a growth agenda
• Proactive / Self-Starter, showing initiative to drive and commit to ongoing improvement
• Strong IT skills, specifically in Excel with evidence of using Excel formulae to transform data
• Excellent interpersonal skills and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with non-finance stakeholders
• High level of honesty and integrity
• Works effectively under pressure in a calm manner and meet deadlines whilst producing work that is accurate
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Finance.  This new role will be a key member of the evolving Caledonian Sleeper Limited’s Finance team, being responsible for all internal and external financial reporting requirements.

The role will involve close working with outsourced providers and internal stakeholders to ensure that reporting is compliant, timely, accurate and insightful.

Main Duties:

• Completion ofall external financial reporting including statutory accounts. This will involve coordination of internal resources and external subject matter experts to ensure full legal compliance
• Will act as the lead with external auditors to ensure timely sign-off of statutory accounts
• Delivery of CSL internal reporting requirements including management accounts. Using this information to transmit accurate an insightful information to decision-makers
• Ensuring that the Balance Sheet is accurate and complete
• Support the Head of Finance in completing the annual budget and in keeping financial forecasts accurate and up to date paying close attention to potential impact on full-year expectations
• Support the Head of Finance in cash flow forecasting ensuring that this is precise and up to date to allow sufficient funding requirements to be made available
• Close working with the Finance Assistants, offshore Assistant Finance Business Partners and RTRs to understand supplier accounts and allow correct financial reporting
• Working with SMEs to prepare accurate and timely CSL Tax Returns
• Opportunity to assist in shaping how shared services will be delivered in CSL in the future. Determining how these align with the specific requirements of the company and for finance in particular
• Input to any Ad Hoc information request and ensuring that the information provided is relevant and insightful

Remuneration & Recruitment Process

Basic Salary:                          up to £60,000

Pension:                                 Access to the Railways pension scheme

Rail Discount:                        Free travel on ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper                                          Services (for employee and dependents / spouse)

Holiday Entitlement:              25 days + stats

Working Hours:                      37.5 hours

Location:                                Glasgow office (Hybrid flexible model, 3 days per week in the                                                  office)

The Recruitment Process:

• First-stage interviews will be conducted by retained consultant, Jonathan Donnelly of Rutherford Cross
• Second stages will involve meeting the Head of Finance and Finance Director
• Final Stages will involve meeting the Finance Director
• All third-party applications, enquiries and direct approaches will be referred to Rutherford Cross